The B.C. government's removal of requirements for environmental assessments for sweet natural gas processing plants and for new and expanded ski and all-season resorts represents a continued slide towards deregulation in the province, the West Coast Environmental Law Association charged Tuesday.

Related

The B.C. government’s removal of requirements for environmental assessments for ski resorts and sweet natural gas processing plants is designed to grease the industrial wheel and has nothing to do with reducing duplication, critics charged Tuesday.

“This represents a continued slide towards deregulation,” said Anna Johnston, staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law Association. “It’s obviously meant to speed up industrial development and that will lead not only to environmental and social concerns but for industry it will erode any social licence they might have.”

The province has exempted new and expanded ski and all-season resorts as well as sweet natural gas processing plants from scrutiny of the Environmental Assessment Office.

It argues that the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations already has an established Master Plan review process for ski resorts, that the Oil and Gas Commission is equipped to handle the sweet natural gas sector, and that the changes will help free up the Environmental Assessment Office to review other projects.

“All it does is remove an absolute duplication,” said Environment Minister Mary Polak.

The changes to the Reviewable Projects Regulation were approved on Monday.

Johnston noted the changes must be viewed alongside other government initiatives: Bill 24, introduced March 27, which would weaken the agricultural land reserve; and Bill 4, legislation already passed that paves the way for park boundaries to be altered in favour of industrial development such as pipelines and transmission lines.

NDP environment critic Spencer Chandra Herbert said that the Oil and Gas Commission was established primarily to support industry — not to protect the environment.

“Master Plans don’t have the same legal strength or the ability to enforce as environmental assessments,” warning that in the absence of “reasoned debate” on projects, people could wind up “fighting them in the streets.”

Polak said the environmental assessment process will continue for the Garibaldi at Squamish ski resort proposal.

David Lynn, president of Canada West Ski Areas Association, argued the change will result in more efficient reviews by the province’s Mountain Resorts Branch.

B.C. has also started charging industry fees for environmental assessments. Polak estimates the fees will recover about 60 per cent of the costs of conducting environmental assessments and processing applications. The Environmental Assessment Office has a 2014/15 budget of $11.7 million, an increase of about $3 million from 2013/14.

The changes remove the need for environmental assessments of new and expanded ski and all-season resorts effective Jan. 1, 2015. For natural gas processing plants, environmental assessments would only be required for projects involving sulphur emissions of two tonnes or more per day as of April 28, 2014.

Polak can still designate a project as reviewable where the “project may have a significant adverse environmental, economic, social, heritage or health effect and that the designation is in the public interest.”

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Video

Today's News

Best of Postmedia

To steel himself for the year-long journey that began Wednesday, Jonathan Pitre has been going over the hard calculus that underpins his decision to pursue a high-risk, high-reward treatment in Minnesota

When he woke up in tears the morning after he had cried himself to sleep, Rohit Saxena knew what he had to do. Leaving his wife, Lesley, asleep in bed, Rohit went downstairs, opened his laptop and began to write. “They say your kids are your hearts outside your body,” he wrote. “I’ll always be […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.